Mqw laser structure comprising plural mqw regions

ABSTRACT

Multi-quantum well laser structures are provided comprising active and/or passive MQW regions. Each of the MQW regions comprises a plurality of quantum wells and intervening barrier layers. Adjacent MQW regions are separated by a spacer layer that is thicker than the intervening barrier layers. The bandgap of the quantum wells is lower than the bandgap of the intervening barrier layers and the spacer layer. The active region may comprise active and passive MQWs and be configured for electrically-pumped stimulated emission of photons or it may comprises active MQW regions configured for optically-pumped stimulated emission of photons.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

The present disclosure relates to semiconductor lasers and, moreparticularly, to enhanced optical confinement in laser structures.

2. Technical Background

The present inventors have recognized that, to improve the opticalconfinement of light propagating in the waveguide of a semiconductorlaser, confined mode out-coupling to the laser substrate should bereduced or eliminated. In addition, the optical field profile around theactive region of the laser should be narrowed to ensure efficientoverlap between the optical propagating mode and the gain region and toprevent optical loss due to optical mode penetration into metal contactsin the vicinity of the active region. These challenges are particularlyacute for semiconductor lasers operating at wavelengths betweenapproximately 450 nm and approximately 600 nm because such lasers areoften prone to optical leakage.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Semiconductor lasers may comprise optical heterostructures including,for example, a waveguide layer with higher refractive index sandwichedbetween two cladding layers with an index of refraction lower than thatof the waveguide. The cladding layers serve to narrow the optical modewidth and the mode decays exponentially in the cladding layers becausethe cladding layer refractive index is lower than the waveguideeffective refractive index. The greater the difference between theeffective refractive index n_(eff) of the waveguide and the refractiveindex of the cladding layer, the less the mode penetration in thecladding and the narrower the mode. Thus, a narrow mode can be achievedeither by increasing the refractive index in the waveguide or bydecreasing the refractive index of cladding.

If the effective refractive index n_(eff) of the waveguide is lower thanthe refractive index of the substrate, then tunneling of light throughthe bottom cladding into the substrate is probable. To reduce thisprobability, the difference betweenn_(eff and the cladding layer refractive index should be as large as possible. Ideally, one needs to have the cladding layer as thick as possible and to have n)_(eff) close to or higher than the substrate index. Unfortunately, inthe context of Group III nitride semiconductor lasers, thelattice-mismatch induced strain in the heterostructure and the thermalinstability of InGaN place significant design constraints on the laser.For example, it is challenging to grow an AlGaN cladding layer that isthick enough and has a high enough Al content to reduce cladding layerrefractive index because AlGaN tensile strain generates cracking issuesin the structure. It is also difficult to grow an InGaN heterostructurethat has a sufficient In content because of factors like highcompressive strain, poor thermal stability, and difficulties in dopingthe material.

The present inventors have also recognized that reductions in thecladding layer refractive index will not yield a high waveguideeffective refractive index n_(eff), relative to the refractive index ofthe laser substrate, because, according to optical confinement physics,reductions in the cladding layer refractive index lead to reductions ofthe waveguide effective refractive index n_(eff). According to thesubject matter of the present disclosure, the effective refractive indexn_(eff) of the waveguide region of a semiconductor laser operating, forexample, at lasing wavelengths greater than 450 nm, can be increased toenhance optical confinement in the laser structure by introducing aplurality of MQW regions in the laser structure. This enhanced opticalconfinement reduces mode leakage to the laser substrate and helpsprevent optical loss due to optical mode penetration into metal contactsin the vicinity of the active region of the laser structure. Forexample, where a contact metal is deposited on the top of the uppercladding layer of the laser structure, even slight mode tail penetrationinto the metal layer through the upper cladding layer can be a source ofsignificant optical losses because absorption in the metal can beextremely high. The aforementioned increases in the effective refractiveindex n_(eff) of the waveguide region can reduce this mode tailpenetration.

In accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure, amulti-quantum well laser diode is provided comprising a laser substrate,a semiconductor active region, a waveguide region, and a claddingregion. The active region comprises at least one active MQW region andat least one passive MQW region. The active MQW region is configured forelectrically-pumped stimulated emission of photons. The passive quantumwell region is optically transparent at the lasing photon energy of theactive MQW region. Each of the MQW regions comprises a plurality ofquantum wells and intervening barrier layers of barrier layer thicknessa. Adjacent MQW regions are separated by a spacer layer of spacerthickness b. The spacer thickness b is larger than the barrier layerthickness a. The bandgap of the quantum wells is lower than the bandgapof the intervening barrier layers and the spacer layer. The respectiveactive, waveguide, and cladding regions are formed as a multi-layereddiode over the laser substrate such that the waveguide region guides thestimulated emission of photons from the active region, and the claddingregion promotes propagation of the emitted photos in the waveguideregion.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure, amulti-quantum well laser structure is provided where the active regioncomprises one or more active MQW regions configured for optically-pumpedstimulated emission of photons. Each of the MQW regions comprises aplurality of quantum wells, which comprise a bandgap-reducing Group IIInitride component, and intervening nitride barrier layers of barrierlayer thickness a. Adjacent MQW regions are separated by a nitridespacer layer of spacer thickness b. The spacer thickness b is largerthan the barrier layer thickness a. The bandgap of the quantum wells islower than the bandgap of the intervening nitride barrier layers and thenitride spacer layer. The respective active, waveguide, and claddingregions form a multi-layered structure over the laser substrate suchthat the waveguide region guides the stimulated emission of photons fromthe active region, and the cladding region promotes propagation of theemitted photons in the waveguide region.

In accordance with yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, thespacer thickness b is larger than the barrier layer thickness a and isbetween approximately 10 nm and approximately 150 nm. The barrier layerthickness a is between approximately 2 nm and approximately 30 nm.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The following detailed description of specific embodiments of thepresent disclosure can be best understood when read in conjunction withthe following drawings, where like structure is indicated with likereference numerals and in which:

FIG. 1 is an illustration of a multi-quantum well laser structuresuitable for electrical pumping according to one embodiment of thepresent disclosure; and

FIG. 2 is an illustration of a multi-quantum well laser structuresuitable for optical pumping according to another embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The multi-quantum well (MQW) laser structures 100 illustrated in FIGS. 1and 2, comprise a semiconductor active region 10, a waveguide regioncomprising a pair of waveguide layers 20 disposed on opposite sides ofthe active region 10, and a cladding region comprising a pair ofcladding layers 30 disposed on opposite sides of the waveguide region.The respective active, waveguide, and cladding regions are formed as amulti-layered structure over a laser substrate 35 such that thewaveguide layers 20 of the waveguide region guide the stimulatedemission of photons from the active region 10, and the cladding layers30 of the cladding region promote propagation of the emitted photons inthe waveguide region.

The active region 10 comprises a plurality of MQW regions 40, 50, 60, atleast one of which is configured for stimulated emission of photons. TheMQW regions 40, 50, 60 enhance optical confinement without introducingoptical loss by providing a refractive index that is as high as possibleat the lasing wavelength. As a result, the effective refractive indexn_(eff) of the waveguide, as describe above, increases and opticalconfinement in the laser structure is enhanced. The refractive indexprovided by the MQW regions 40, 50, 60 typically increases superlinearlywith reductions of the bandgap of the semiconductor material used in theMQW regions 40, 50, 60. Thus, in practicing the present invention,materials with relatively low bandgaps should be used in constructingthe MQW regions 40, 50, 60 to enhance optical confinement.

In electrically and optically pumped laser structures 100, includingthose illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the active region 10 is constructedusing a plurality of relatively thin quantum wells 70. Although notrequired, the quantum wells 70 can be fabricated using a Group IIInitride selected for the aforementioned bandgap reduction. For thepurposes of defining and describing the present invention, a componentthat reduces the bandgap when its concentration is increased will bereferred to as a “bandgap-reducing” component of the quantum well. Thebandgap-reducing Group III nitride component is selected such that therefractive index of the quantum well 70 at the stimulated emissionwavelength can be increased super-linearly as the concentration of thebandgap-reducing Group III nitride component of the quantum well 70 isincreased. For example, according to one embodiment, the quantum wells70 comprise InGaN quantum wells, which are typically grown undercompressive strain on GaN substrates or buffer layers, and theconcentration of the InN component of the InGaN is increased to create asuperlinear increase in the refractive index. In contrast, if theconcentration of the GaN component of the InGaN is increased, it doesnot reduce the bandgap of the quantum well and, as such, this componentis not generally considered to be a bandgap-reducing component of thequantum well. In another embodiment, the quantum wells 70 comprise AlGaNquantum wells grown under compressive strain on AlGaN or AlN substrates.For InGaN quantum wells 70, the bandgap-reducing Group III nitridecomponent would be InN with the reduced bandgap discussed above. ForAlGaN quantum wells 70, the bandgap-reducing Group III nitride componentwould be GaN with the reduced bandgap discussed above. AlGaAs quantumwells, AlGaAsP quantum wells, GaAs quantum wells, InGaAs quantum wellsand combinations thereof are also contemplated.

As is noted above, the refractive index of the MQW regions 40, 50, 60increases superlinearly with increases in the concentration of thebandgap-reducing component of the quantum well. However, compressivestrain in the semiconductor layers utilizing the bandgap-reducingcomponent merely accumulates in a relatively linear fashion as theconcentration of the component and the thickness of the layers utilizingthe component increases. As a result, in order to benefit from thehigher refractive index, and the better optical confinement providedthereby, without increasing total strain, it is preferable to usethinner layers with higher bandgap-reducing component concentrations, asopposed to single, relatively thick layers with relatively lowbandgap-reducing component concentrations. Although compressive strainin the waveguide region 10 typically accumulates almost linearly as thecontent of the bandgap-reducing component increases, optical confinementcan be enhanced without sacrificing structural integrity by decreasingthe thickness of the relatively thin quantum wells 70 while increasingthe content of the bandgap-reducing component in the quantum wells 70.As a result, the MQW regions 40, 50, 60, which also comprise interveningbarrier layers 80, represent a relatively compact waveguide region 10that concentrates the propagating optical mode in a relatively narrowregion.

In practicing the various embodiments disclosed herein, it should berecognized that, although quantum wells 70 with a lower bandgapgenerally increase optical confinement in the quantum wells 70, thecomposition of the MQW regions 40, 50, 60 should be held such that itwould not yield excessive compressive strain accumulation ordeterioration of the growth morphology, which, for example, oftenresults in the formation of v-pits in the structure. To help addressthese issues while permitting a low bandgap in the MQW regions 40, 50,60, adjacent MQW regions 40, 50, 60 are separated by spacer layers 90fabricated with a larger bandgap material. The bandgap of the quantumwell 70 is lower than the respective bandgaps of the intervening nitridebarrier layers 80 and the spacer layer 90. Although it is contemplatedthat laser structures within the scope of the present disclosure mayemploy a variety of conventional and yet-to-be developed nitrides orother materials that yield the aforementioned characteristics, in oneembodiment, the MQW regions 40, 50, 60 comprise InGaN and the spacerlayers 90 comprise GaN or InGaN.

As is illustrated schematically in FIGS. 1 and 2, the spacer layers 90define a spacer thickness b that is larger than the barrier layerthickness a. The spacer layers 90 may be of nanometer-scale but shouldbe sufficiently thick to at least partially mitigate strain accumulationacross the MQW regions 40, 50, 60 and to recover any morphologydeterioration introduced during MQW growth. For example, in someembodiments, the spacer thickness b can be larger than the barrier layerthickness a. More specifically, where the spacer thickness b is betweenapproximately 20 nm and approximately 100 nm, the barrier layerthickness a can be between approximately 2 nm and approximately 30 nm.In other embodiments, the spacer thickness b is at least twice as largeas the barrier layer thickness a. In still other embodiments, the spacerthickness b is greater than approximately 20 nm and the barrier layerthickness a is less than approximately 20 nm.

In the electrically pumped MQW laser structure 100 illustrated in FIG.1, the respective active, waveguide, and cladding regions are formed asa multi-layered laser diode and the active region 10 comprises an activeMQW region 50 sandwiched between a pair of passive MQW regions 40, 60.The active MQW region 50 is configured for electrically-pumpedstimulated emission of photons. To ensure that the optical transitionenergy of the passive quantum well regions 40, 60 is higher than thelasing photon energy of the laser structure 100 and that the passivequantum well regions 40, 60 are optically transparent at the lasingphoton energy of the active MQW region 50, the bandgap of the passiveMQW regions 40, 60 needs to be as close as possible but higher than thelasing emission photon energy of the active MQW region 50. As will beappreciated by those familiar with semiconductor structures, therespective quantum well optical transition energies of the active andpassive MQW regions 40, 50, 60 can be tailored in a variety of ways. Forexample, in the context of an InGaN/GaN MQW region, the quantum welloptical transition energy can be tailored by adjusting the InN molefraction in InGaN.

Accordingly, as is illustrated in Table 1 below, to ensure transparencyof the passive MQW regions 40, 60 in cases where the MQW regionscomprise InGaN, the In content of the active quantum well region 50 canbe tailored to be greater than the In content of the passive quantumwell regions 40, 60 if the quantum well thickness is the same. In thismanner, the optical transition energy of the passive quantum wellregions 40, 60 can be made higher than the lasing photon energy of themulti-quantum well laser structure 100 and the passive quantum wellregions 40, 60 will be transparent at the lasing photon energy of themulti-quantum well laser structure. The material refractive index of thepassive MQW regions 40, 60 of the electrically pumped laser diodestructure 100 of FIG. 1 increases superlinearly with bandgap decrease.Generally, the bandgap cannot be less than the point at which thewavelength of the absorption edge of the MQW regions 40, 60 approachesthe wavelength of laser emission, i.e., the absorption photon energy ofthe MQW regions 40, 60 has to be higher than lasing photon energy. Insome embodiments, for example, the lasing photon energy of the activequantum well region will be approximately 50 meV to approximately 400meV lower than the photon energy of the passive quantum well regions.Table 1, below, presents some specific design parameters suitable forpracticing particular embodiments of the present invention in thecontext of an electrically pumped laser structure.

TABLE 1 (components listed from top to bottom, as illustrated in FIG.1). Layer Thickness Composition Doping Notes contact layer 100 nm GaNp⁺⁺ 45 doped cladding >500 nm AlGaN or p- layer AlGaN/ doped 30 GaN SL,AlN average mole fraction 0-20% Waveguide 0-150 nm (In)GaN, p- 20 InNmole doped fraction 0-10% passive InGaN InGaN/ p-type passive MQWthickness GaN, InGaN 60 1-10 nm, InN transition GaN mole energythickness fraction in 50-400 2-30 nm InGaN is meV 5-30% higher thanlasing photon energy spacer 10-100 nm (In)GaN, Partially AlGaN 90 InN p-electron mole doped, stop fraction or layer in, 0-10% undoped above, orbelow this layer Active InGaN InGaN/ GaN MQW thickness GaN, barriers 501-10 nm, InN can be GaN mole n- thickness fraction doped 2-30 nm inInGaN is 10-50% spacer 10-100 nm (In)GaN, n- 90 InN mole doped fraction0-10% passive InGaN InGaN/ n- passive MQW thickness GaN, type InGaN 401-10 nm, InN transition GaN mole energy thickness fraction 50-400 2-30nm in meV InGaN is higher 5-30% than lasing photon energy waveguide0-150 nm (In)GaN, n- 20 InN mole doped fraction 0-10% cladding >500 nmAlGaN or n- layer AlGaN/ doped 30 GaN super lattice, AlN mole fraction0-20% substrate 35 varies GaN n- doped

It is noted that the laser diode structure illustrated in FIG. 1 mayfurther comprise an electron stop layer 85 interposed between the activeand passive MQW regions 50, 60. The electron stop layer 85 could, forexample, be positioned in the spacer layer 90, as is illustrated in FIG.1, between the spacer layer 90 and the active MQW region 50, or betweenthe spacer layer 90 and the passive MQW region 60. For laser diodestructures employing InGaN MQW regions 40, 50, 60, the electron stoplayer 85 can be made of p-doped AlGaN. If the spacer layer 90 is fullyor partially above the electron stop layer 85, the spacer material abovethe electron stop layer 85 should be p-doped.

As is illustrated in FIG. 1 and Table 1, in one embodiment, thewaveguide region comprises P-doped and N-doped layers 20 disposed onopposite sides of the active region 10. The cladding region alsocomprises P-doped and N-doped cladding layers 30 disposed on oppositesides of the active region 10. As such, the active MQW 50 is disposedbetween a p-doped side of the laser diode structure 100 and an n-dopedside of the laser diode structure 100. The spacer layers 90 on then-doped side of the laser diode structure 100 are fully or partiallyn-doped, while the spacer layers 90 on the p-doped side of the laserdiode structure 100 are fully or partially p-doped. The interveningbarrier layers 80 between the quantum wells 70 on the n-doped side ofthe laser diode structure 100 can be n-doped, while the interveningbarrier layers 80 between quantum wells 70 on the p-doped side of thelaser diode structure 100 can be p-doped to ensure good carriertransport through the passive MQW regions 40, 60. It is contemplatedthat the quantum wells 70 may also be n or p-doped in a mannerconsistent to that which is described for the barrier layers 80.

In the optically pumped MQW laser structure 100 illustrated in FIG. 2,the active region 10 comprises one or more active MQW regions 40, 50, 60configured for optically-pumped stimulated emission of photons. The MQWregions 40, 50, 60 of the laser structure 100 illustrated in FIG. 2 canbe substantially identical and, as such, the laser structure 100 of FIG.2 is suitable for use as an optically pumped laser structure becauseeach of the MQW regions 40, 50, 60 can function as an active MQW region,although it is contemplated that one or more of the MQW regions 40, 50,60 may be passive.

Each of the MQW regions 40, 50, 60 in the optically pumped MQW laserstructure 100 illustrated in FIG. 2 comprises a plurality of quantumwells 70 formed using a Group III nitride semiconductor material andintervening nitride barrier layers 80 of barrier layer thickness a.Adjacent MQW regions are separated by a nitride spacer layer 90 ofspacer thickness b. The spacer thickness b is larger than the barrierlayer thickness a and the bandgap of the quantum wells 70 is lower thanthe respective bandgaps of the intervening nitride barrier layers 80 andthe nitride spacer layer 90. As is the case with the electrically pumpedlaser diode structure 100 illustrated in FIG. 1, the respective active,waveguide, and cladding regions of the laser structure 100 illustratedin FIG. 2 form a multi-layered structure where the waveguide layers 20of the waveguide region guide the stimulated emission of photons fromthe active region 10, and the cladding layers 30 of the cladding regionpromote propagation of the emitted photons in the waveguide region.

Typically, the respective active, waveguide, and cladding regions areformed from undoped semiconductor material layers because the laserstructure is optically pumped, as opposed to being electrically pumped.Of course, it is contemplated that some level of doping in thesemiconductor material layer could be tolerated as long as the dopingdoes not lead to excessive optical loss. The respective compositions ofthe active MQW regions can be functionally equivalent and any or each ofthe active MQW regions 40, 50, 60 can be configured to be capable oflasing under optical pumping at a common wavelength.

As is illustrated in detail in Table 2, below, for some embodiments ofthe optically pumped laser structure 100, the spacer thickness b isbetween approximately 20 nm and approximately 150 nm, while the barrierlayer thickness a is between approximately 2 nm and approximately 30 nm.By utilizing these thickness relationships, those practicing thepresently disclosed embodiments, will find it easier to maintain a lowquantum well bandgap to optimize optical confinement while avoiding themorphology degradation commonly associated with excessive compressivestrain or low growth temperatures in the active region 10. Additionalthicknesses are contemplated within and outside of the aforementionedranges.

TABLE 2 (components listed from top to bottom, as illustrated in FIG.2). Layer Thickness Composition other cladding layer >500 nm AlGaN orAlGaN/GaN 30 super lattice, AIN mole fraction 0-20% spacer 90 10-150 nm(In)GaN, InN mole fraction 0-10% Active MQW InGaN QW InGaN/GaN, oradjacent 40, 50, 60 thickness InGaN/InGaN InN MQWs are 1-10 nm, molefraction in InGaN separated InGaN QW is 10-50%. In by spacer barriermole fraction in 90 thickness barriers and spacers is 2-30 nm 0-10%spacer 90 10-150 nm (In)GaN, InN mole fraction 0-10% cladding layer >500nm AlGaN or AlGaN/GaN 30 SL, AlN average mole fraction 0-20% substrate35 varies GaN

Although the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 show the use ofthree MQW regions 40, 50, 60 in a MQW laser structure, it iscontemplated that enhanced optical confinement can be achieved with twoor more MQW regions separated by the aforementioned spacer layer 90. Inaddition, it is contemplated that each MQW region may comprise anynumber of quantum wells 70, provided the quantum wells are separated bythe intervening barrier layer 80. It is also noted that the embodimentsdescribed and contemplated herein can be used in both Al-free laserstructures and structures with AlGaN cladding layers.

For the purposes of describing and defining the present invention, it isnoted that reference herein to a variable being a “function” of aparameter or another variable is not intended to denote that thevariable is exclusively a function of the listed parameter or variable.Rather, reference herein to a variable that is a “function” of a listedparameter is intended to be open ended such that the variable may be afunction of a single parameter or a plurality of parameters. Inaddition, reference herein to “Group III” elements is intended to referto boron (B), aluminum (Al), gallium (Ga), indium (In), thallium (TI),and ununtrium (a synthetic element in the periodic table that has thetemporary symbol Uut and has the atomic number 113).

It is noted that recitations herein of a component of the presentdisclosure being “configured” to embody a particular property, orfunction in a particular manner, are structural recitations, as opposedto recitations of intended use. More specifically, the references hereinto the manner in which a component is “configured” denotes an existingphysical condition of the component and, as such, is to be taken as adefinite recitation of the structural characteristics of the component.

It is noted that terms like “preferably,” “commonly,” and “typically,”when utilized herein, are not utilized to limit the scope of the claimedinvention or to imply that certain features are critical, essential, oreven important to the structure or function of the claimed invention.Rather, these terms are merely intended to identify particular aspectsof an embodiment of the present disclosure or to emphasize alternativeor additional features that may or may not be utilized in a particularembodiment of the present disclosure.

For the purposes of describing and defining the present invention, it isnoted that the term “approximately” is utilized herein to represent theinherent degree of uncertainty that may be attributed to anyquantitative comparison, value, measurement, or other representation.The term “substantially” is also utilized herein to represent the degreeby which a quantitative representation may vary from a stated referencewithout resulting in a change in the basic function of the subjectmatter at issue.

It is specified that the p-side of the structure is referred to as “top”and n-side as “the bottom” of the structure. According to this the term“above” means toward the structure top and “below” means toward thestructure bottom.

Having described the subject matter of the present disclosure in detailand by reference to specific embodiments thereof, it will be apparentthat modifications and variations are possible without departing fromthe scope of the invention defined in the appended claims. Morespecifically, although some aspects of the present disclosure areidentified herein as preferred or particularly advantageous, it iscontemplated that the present disclosure is not necessarily limited tothese aspects. For example, although the laser structures describedherein are, in some cases, identified as comprising a Group III nitridewhere the bandgap-reducing Group III nitride component is InN, it iscontemplated that the laser structure may include any number of groupIII components, regardless of whether they are capable of reducing thebandgap of the quantum well.

It is noted that one or more of the following claims utilize the term“wherein” as a transitional phrase. For the purposes of defining thepresent invention, it is noted that this term is introduced in theclaims as an open-ended transitional phrase that is used to introduce arecitation of a series of characteristics of the structure and should beinterpreted in like manner as the more commonly used open-ended preambleterm “comprising.”

1.-11. (canceled)
 12. A multi-quantum well laser structure comprising alaser substrate, a semiconductor active region, a waveguide region, anda cladding region, wherein: the active region comprises one or moreactive MQW regions configured for optically-pumped stimulated emissionof photons; each of the MQW regions comprises a plurality of quantumwells, which comprise a bandgap-reducing Group III nitride component,and intervening nitride barrier layers of barrier layer thickness a;adjacent MQW regions are separated by a nitride spacer layer of spacerthickness b; the spacer thickness b is larger than the barrier layerthickness a; the bandgap of the quantum wells is lower than the bandgapof the intervening nitride barrier layers and the nitride spacer layer;and the respective active, waveguide, and cladding regions form amulti-layered structure over the laser substrate such that the waveguideregion guides the stimulated emission of photons from the active region,and the cladding region promotes propagation of the emitted photons inthe waveguide region.
 13. A multi-quantum well laser structure asclaimed in claim 12 wherein the active region comprises a plurality ofactive MQW regions configured for optically-pumped stimulated emissionof photons.
 14. A multi-quantum well laser structure as claimed in claim12 wherein the respective active, waveguide, and cladding regions areformed from undoped semiconductor material layers.
 15. A multi-quantumwell laser structure as claimed in claim 12 wherein the respectivecompositions of the active MQW regions are functionally equivalent. 16.A multi-quantum well laser structure as claimed in claim 12 wherein eachof the active MQW regions arc capable of lasing under optical pumping ata common wavelength.
 17. A multi-quantum well laser structure as claimedin claim 12 wherein the bandgap-reducing Group III nitride componentcomprised in the MQW regions comprises InN and the nitride spacer layercomprises GaN or InGaN.
 18. A multi-quantum well laser structure asclaimed in claim 12 wherein: the quantum wells comprise InGaN quantumwells with an In mole fraction between approximately 10% andapproximately 50%; the intervening barrier layers comprise GaN or InGaNbarrier layers with an In mole fraction of approximately 0-10%; and thespacer layers comprise GaN or InGaN spacer layers with an In molefraction of approximately 0-10%.
 19. A multi-quantum well laserstructure as claimed in claim 12 wherein: the spacer thickness b islarger than the barrier layer thickness a and is between approximately10 nm and approximately 150 nm; and the barrier layer thickness a isbetween approximately 2 nm and approximately 30 nm.
 20. A multi-quantumwell laser structure as claimed in claim 12 wherein the active region isconfigured for lasing wavelength more than approximately 450 nm. 21.(canceled)
 22. A multi-quantum well laser structure comprising a lasersubstrate, a semiconductor active region, a waveguide region, and acladding region, wherein: the active region comprises a plurality ofactive MQW regions configured for optically-pumped stimulated emissionof photons; each of the MQW regions comprises a plurality of quantumwells and intervening barrier layers of barrier layer thickness a;adjacent MQW regions are separated by a nitride spacer layer of spacerthickness b; the spacer thickness b is larger than the barrier layerthickness a and is between approximately 10 nm and approximately 150 nm;the barrier layer thickness a is between approximately 2 nm andapproximately 30 nm; the bandgap of the quantum wells is lower than thebandgap of the intervening barrier layers and the nitride spacer layer;and the respective active, waveguide, and cladding regions form amulti-layered structure over the laser substrate such that the waveguideregion guides the stimulated emission of photons from the active region,and the cladding region promotes propagation of the emitted photons inthe waveguide region.
 23. A multi-quantum well laser structure asclaimed in claim 22 wherein the quantum wells comprise InGaN quantumwells, AlGaN quantum wells, AlGaAs quantum wells, AlGaAsP quantum wells,GaAs quantum wells, InGaAs quantum wells, and combinations thereof.